We're about:

There are several Meetup book clubs in the East Bay, but many of them are specialized (e.g., women-only, we only read such-and-such books, etc.), or their meetings filled to capacity so fast that I never got a chance to rsvp - so I decided to start this one. I previously participated in a fantastic book club in Chicago, which gave me the opportunity to read some great books that I probably wouldn't have found on my own. I hope to continue that trend here!

This is an all-gender book club for anyone who likes to read and chat about it; any books are game, including fiction, nonfiction, historical, mysteries, thrillers, classics, contemporary, etc. - the list could go on! Are you old or young? New to the Bay Area, or a long-time resident? Freak, geek, or cool-kid? No matter - everyone is welcome! If you like to read, want to meet new bookworms and make new friends, then the Bay Area Bookworms is where it's at. The only requirement is that you bring your love of books and discussion to share with us over a tasty beverage or snack while chatting up our next good read.

Meetings will take place once a month, at local cafes, pubs, and restaurants in the area - part of the point of this meetup is going out, since I personally rarely get to do so (anyone have a good workaholics meetup to recommend? Ha!). We will discuss one book per month. Book selections will take place 4 times per year, and we will select 3 books at a time via a nomination and voting process (through the polling link on Meetup); this way people will have plenty of time to find and read books, especially if you're like me and like to use the library when possible.

While the meet ups are located in the East Bay, it isn't limited to people who live in this area; anyone is welcome to join us.

Hope to see you at our next event!

Logistical Notes:

- RSVPs for each event are opened the evening of prior events. This is to prevent folks from RSVP-ing yes for events months in advance and then forgetting, which would take valuable spaces away from others who would like to attend.

- Suggestions for new venues (that don't charge fees/deposits, would have enough space for up to 20 people, and which are relatively quiet) are always welcome!

- That said, I've had some offers to meet in people's homes, and while I appreciate the offer, this book club will remain one that meets in public spaces, for a variety of reasons.

- Yes. I know that this has become a fairly popular group and events are sometimes hard to get into. However, I have no plans to bring on a co-organizer to run separate parallel events (I tried that once, and it failed miserably) or additional events, and I have no plans to open the RSVP for a larger group (a book discussion with 20 people is already pretty difficult). My suggestion is to RSVP "yes" whenever there is a book of interest to you to get on the wait list, and to check the RSVP list the morning of the event after 9am - people are always changing their plans at the last minute, and most of our wait-listers get in or change plans themselves. If none of that works for you, I encourage you to start your own book club! The Bay Area could definitely use more, and I'm happy to share organizer notes :)

- Meetup groups cost money to run. This book club does not charge members annual dues or fees for attending, but I do ask that members voluntarily donate one or two bucks when they attend to help me recup the cost of running the group. However, no one will be turned away if they cannot contribute! As a brokeass grad student, I understand… brokeassness. (Yes, I made up a word. No, it's not terribly lyrical. But yes, I will be using it again in the future…)